Chapter 3

Three days later, the Atlantis team was gathered in the gateroom, waiting for the Stargate to open. The last two days were spent in a hurry, getting everything reading for today's departure. From the control room, Elizabeth was looking at the old and new members, wondering what the next few months would bring to them. Beside her were Abby and John, the latter trying to explain what was going on to his daughter; she couldn't help but smile at the father-daughter interaction.
Once again looking in the gateroom, her gaze found Rodney first, speaking with a new scientist, probably already wanting him to understand that he was way smarter than him. She then spotted Laura and Carson, both sporting a huge smile; during their stay on Earth, they had gone to Scotland, Carson wanting Laura to meet his mother, and from what she heard it went pretty well. One by one, her eyes fell on each member of the old team, each bringing out a memory from their time in the City. She didn't know why, but she was feeling a bit nostalgic, thinking back on the first time they were all in that same gateroom waiting to hear if they were leaving or not. But some weren't there; some were in Atlantis, keeping the city running during their absence, others died, like Sumner, Markham and Peter, and another one was still missing, Ford. But what she felt was different from that day: she was not leaving home, she was going home.

"Everything's ready, Ma'am," Walter said, startling her.

"Thank you."

"You ok?" John asked her, a concerned look on his face.

"Yes, I was just too deep in thought."

"So, you and your team are ready to go back to Atlantis, Dr Weir?" General Landry asked as he came down the stairs from the briefing room, followed by SG1.

"Yes, we are."

"Then, after you…"

"Walter, dial the Atlantis gate and then send the IDC."

"Yes, Ma'am."

Elizabeth and John bid their goodbyes to Landry and SG1 and went to the gateroom. They waited beside their friends as the inner circle of the gate span, chevrons encoding one by one.
Abby was still in her father's arms and was a little confused by what was going on. She watched as the big donut-like thing span and some dots seemed to shine at some places. The last chevron locked and Abby, surprised by the gate opening, buried her head in John's neck.

"It's okay, sweetheart," he said, rubbing her back with one of this hands. "Look at this."

Confident in her father's words, she slowly turned her head towards the gate seeing a kind of water puddle in the middle of the ring. She watched in fascination as it illuminated the rest of the gateroom.

"We have to go through the gate and then we'll be in our new home, okay? I promise you it won't hurt. I have done it a lot of times and Elizabeth too."

He turned to look at Elizabeth who was tightening her grip on Sedge's leash; obviously the dog had been scared of the gate opening too. From the control room, Landry gave them the go and the couple, as the leaders of the City, were the first ones to walk towards the gate. Each turning one last time towards those who would stay on Earth, they entered the wormhole, John whispering comforting words to Abby and a mere second later, they were home.
They climbed the stairs; Caldwell was there, waiting for them, quite surprised by John's presence and the two new additions. The new members stayed in the gateroom, waiting to know where to go, as the others left for their rooms, or in Rodney's case went to the control room to check if Zelenka hadn't done too much damage to the city in his absence.

"Welcome back, Doctor, Sheppard. I thought you were staying on Earth; at least it was what they told me when they asked me to replace you."

"I was. But General O'Neill found a solution. By the way, sir, let me introduce you to my daughter, Abby. Abby, this is Colonel Caldwell, he works here with us."

"Nice to meet you, Abby," he said with a smile on his face. "Going through the Stargate wasn't too scary?"

"It was fun!" she exclaimed. "Can we do it again, Daddy?"

The three adults were surprised by Abby's answer; they hadn't expected her to be so enthusiastic about the experience, quite the opposite actually. Elizabeth introduced Sedge to the colonel while John put Abby down, though still holding her hand.

"Well, the city is all yours again, doctor. I've summed up every report I've signed during your stay on Earth so you can see what had been going on in this galaxy. Things were pretty calm though: no new Wraith threat, although Major Lorne's team encountered some of them during a mission. If you have any questions, I'll be in my office."

"Thank you, Colonel, I'll be sure to come see you if I need to."

"I think it's time to address the new members," John said, as Caldwell left them while Rodney and Radek were still bickering in the background. "Those two are like an old married couple, I swear," he added referring to them which enticed giggles from Elizabeth before she contained herself.

"Alright, people," she said, raising her voice so that every single person in the gateroom could hear her. "You were all briefed before you came here so you know what to do. These airmen will guide you towards the residential area and then you'll all go to the infirmary for a brief check-up. You're off-duty till tomorrow morning, so I suggest you take that time to settle. That is all. Thank you and welcome to Atlantis."

"Well, I propose we go get settled too. And no 'I have reports to read', they can wait," he countered as she opened her mouth to speak.

"Fine. But let me take my radio just in case. I'll be in my quarters if you need to reach me," she told Chuck.

"Yes, Ma'am."

On their way to their quarters, they passed the gym and stopped, watching Teyla and Ronon sparring. The two Pegasus natives hadn't seemed to have noticed the two leaders' presence, enthralled in their fight. Teyla was blocking each of Ronon's attacks until he surprised her by a feint; she didn't have time to counter his next attack and the next thing she knew, she was pinned against the wall with Ronon's body close to hers. They were both breathing heavily, looking into the other's eyes, trying to determine whether or not their sparring match was over.
Satisfied with what she saw in the Satedan's eyes, Teyla slightly bowed her head and smiled at him. Ronon finally let her go from where she was pinned against the wall and turned towards the door, not surprised at all to find John and Elizabeth there.

"Nice move, Ronon," John said walking in the room.

"I agree with Colonel Sheppard. I didn't see that one coming."

"You want to spar Sheppard?"

"Err… Thanks but we just came back, so it'll be for another time."

"I see you're not alone," Teyla decided to intervene, knowing that Ronon wouldn't stop there.

"No. This is Abby, my daughter and this is Sedge, Elizabeth's dog."

"I wasn't aware you had a daughter. I am Teyla and this is Ronon," she told Abby who was looking at them with a curious look on her face.

"She looks a lot like you, Sheppard. Does she cause as many problems as you?"

"Ronon!" Teyla exclaimed as Elizabeth was trying to suppress her laughter, which earned her a glare from John.

"Ok, I think we'll be going now. We have to settle in and then I want to take Abby to visit some parts of the City. So, see you later guys!"

"Teyla," Elizabeth said as John and Abby were already leaving the room, "we'll probably go to the mainland soon so Abby could meet the other kids and Sedge could run, so if you want to come with us…"

"I'll let you know, Doctor Weir. Thank you and have a good day."

Elizabeth just nodded before joining her little family who was waiting for her at the door. Her family…; Elizabeth was surprised when these words popped into her mind, only a week ago it was just John and her and now they were a family.
Meanwhile, in the gym, Teyla and Ronon were sipping some water and resting before going back to their sparring.

"I'd never pictured Sheppard as a father."

"He's good with children. When my people were staying in Atlantis he would tell them a story every night."

"How do you think Weir is taking the news?"

"What do you mean?"

"I'm pretty sure she didn't know about the girl before going back to their planet. I don't think Sheppard told anyone about her."

"But they've been involved with each other for a few months, he would have told her before."

"You don't always say everything to your loved one…"

Teyla noticed the longing look he had and wondered what he meant by his words. She didn't push the issue though; maybe one day she would, but she knew him well enough to know that it wasn't the right moment. Instead, she stood up and dropped her towel on the bench before picking up her sticks. A smile tugged at Ronon's lips before he joined her in the middle of the room; every friendly fight with her was like a real one, they didn't hold back.
Once in their quarters, Elizabeth and John were unpacking while Abby sat on the floor, playing with Sedge.

"When do you want to move into the family quarters, John?"

"Pretty soon, I guess. Abby could sleep with us for a few nights, but she has to have her own room and bed. Why don't we go visit them after lunch?"

"I have to…"

"No! Don't say it!" he interrupted her. "Caldwell's here, they can do without you for one more day."

"John…," she sighed, wanting him to understand her but when she saw his puppy dog eyes she just gave up. "Alright, they can wait."

An hour later, they had finished their unpacking, knowing they'd have to re-pack everything soon. Since it was already lunch time and Abby was starving, they went to the commissary where they met with the rest of John's team and Lorne's. Like when they were at the SGC, John and Elizabeth sent Abby to sit at the table while they took care of the trays.

"Hi Abby," Teyla said while Ronon and Rodney just nodded, engulfing more than actually eating.

She then introduced her to Major Lorne and his team, who since hearing that their CO had a daughter were eager to meet her. Abby was shy in front of all these people she didn't know; out of all of them, the scientist was the only one she saw a few times before coming to Atlantis.
Elizabeth and John joined them at the table, she sitting beside Teyla and him beside his daughter. Abby made a face when John put her plate in front of her but made up her mind to eat it seeing her father's look.

"So, how's Abby adapting to life here?" Rodney asked between two mouthfuls.

"We just came back, McKay. She'll need a few days."

"Are your quarters big enough for the three of you?"

"No, and this is why we're planning on moving," Elizabeth answered Teyla. "John wants us to visit some family quarters that were found a few weeks ago. Let's hope we'll find one that's suitable; Abby needs her own room."

"When will our next mission be?" Ronon asked once he finished everything that was on his tray.

"I don't want to leave Abby so soon, even with Elizabeth here with her. Maybe next week or the week after. Plus, I have to test the new recruits to see if they're fit to go off-world. But if you want, you can go off-world with another team."

"Since I have a lot of things to do, I'm not against staying on Atlantis for a few weeks. I haven't gone to my lab yet and I really hope Zelenka hasn't messed with my experiments."

"Rodney," Elizabeth sighed, "Radek is more than competent and you know that. You know, John was right earlier when he said you and him act like an old married couple," she added to tease him.

"What?" he squealed. "Are you crazy or what? Me and Zelenka? You know you have a dirty mind since you're with Sheppard."

"Oh, believe me Rodney, she already had one," John said with a sly grin.

"Oh you two are sick," the scientist said before leaving the table while the other people still around grinned.

"So Lorne," John started bringing the Major attention onto him, "Caldwell told us that your team met some Wraith."

"Yes. We were exploring M9J546. There was a village and we were asking them when the last culling had been when two darts came through the Gate. Most of the villagers followed us to the nearby forest but some were taken. I don't think they'd seen us otherwise they would have waited for us at the Gate. I think Colonel Caldwell gave you a summary of our reports but if you want the whole reports…"

"Put them on my desk as soon as you can," John nodded.

"What is a Vrath, Daddy?" Abby asked, making a slight mistake on the name.

"It's the bad guy my friends and I are fighting against, sweetheart. But don't worry, Elizabeth and I will never let them come near you."

"Neither will we," Lorne assured the girl. "How old are you?" he asked and she showed him her hand with all her fingers raised up. "That much, huh? You know I have a niece of your age and before I left she gave me one of her favourite books as a reminder of her. If you want you could borrow it from me."

"Thank you, Lorne."

"You're welcome, Colonel, but I didn't know you read stories for children too," he teased and the rest of his team started to laugh, while Teyla, Ronon and Elizabeth just smiled.

"Be careful, Major, you don't want to spend a whole week playing guinea pig for Rodney and his team…?"

"Err… guys? I think we gotta go," he said to his team before turning towards the rest of the table. "Miss Sheppard, it was a pleasure, Sir, Doctor, Teyla, Ronon, see you later."

"Coward…," John said once they left the table and Elizabeth shook her head, sighing at his attitude.

"Well, John if you want us to visit some family quarters, though I'm pretty sure they all look the same, we should go know. I really need to read some reports tonight in order to catch up with what went on."

"I thought we said no work today?"

"John…"

"I know, I know. Well then, we'll go too," he told Ronon and Teyla, standing up.

Saying their goodbyes to the two other members of AR-1, they left the commissary walking towards the living area where they'd found the family quarters. Left alone, Ronon and Teyla decided to leave the room too, both wanting to spar some more before others claimed the gym.
In the residential area, after having left Sedge in their quarters, the couple and Abby went in search of a new place to live. John steered them to the South pier, having his mind set to quarters in this particular area.

"You do realize that Rodney's quarters are not so far from there?" Elizabeth asked, wondering if that thought crossed her lover's mind.

"Well, then he could baby-sit Abby from time to time."

"If you say so…," she said, not convinced at all because of Rodney's notorious reputation of not liking children.

"Ok, what do you think of this one?" he asked, opening the door to yet other quarters.

"They're exactly like the other three we visited, John."

"Except this one has a bigger master bedroom than the others. But if you want, I think the next one has four bedrooms"

"John Sheppard," she lowered her voice so Abby couldn't here them, "I will not give birth to half a dozen children."

"And I won't ask you that. But I still want children with you," he whispered, wrapping his arms around her waist. "I have an idea. For the moment, we could use the third bedroom as a playroom for Abby. And if we need more space we could still move again."

"And how much more space do you hope we'll need?" she asked, arching an eyebrow.

"We'll discuss that later. So, what do you think of these quarters?"

"Like I already said, they're not that much different from the others. But you know what all these family quarters miss? Kitchens. We'll still depend on the commissary for meals."

"I guess the Ancients loved to have meals together. So, yes or no?"

"Impatient are we?" she teased him. "Well, why don't you ask your other girl?"

"Right. Hey, honey, come here," he said, both of them crouching to Abby's level. "Do you like it here?"

The young girl just shrugged, not knowing what to say. To her, the rooms they visited in the last two hours were all the same, and nothing like her home back on Earth.

"Ok, so what do we do?" John asked Elizabeth when Abby failed to answer.

"If you really like them, then I guess we could take them."

"You sure?"

"Yes. But my warning still stands."

"Understood, Ma'am."

"So Abby, why don't you choose your room? Daddy and I will be in this room," she said, pointing to the door of the biggest bedroom of the three. "You can choose one of the other two."

"I think this one is slightly bigger than the other one," John said, taking his daughter to the threshold of one of the rooms. "Do you like it? I know it's nothing like your bedroom, but with the furniture we bought before leaving, it should be fine."

"Ok," she said quietly.

"Hey, Abby, you ok?" he asked crouching before her.

"I miss Dinah," she said, sniffing.

"I know sweetheart, and I promise you we'll go to see her as soon as we can. Hey, you know what? Why don't we write her a letter tonight?"

Abby nodded, snuggling into her father's arms. He stood up with her in his arms and turned to face Elizabeth. Putting an arm around her waist, he brought her closer to them; she obliged, wrapping one of her arms around his waist and stroking Abby's back with the other, kissing her head in the process.

"It'll take time, but she's gonna be fine," he told her.

"I know. We should go back to our quarters. She's probably tired since it's past the time of her nap."

"Yeah. But I'm afraid that if she sleeps now, she won't be tired enough at her bedtime tonight."

"Well, she'll go to sleep a little later tonight," Elizabeth said and John could only agree with her.

They left the quarters, walking towards the nearest transporter, Abby nearly asleep in John's arms.
Once in their quarters, John put Abby on the bed and then joined Elizabeth who retreated to the balcony. She seemed deep in thought but didn't jump when he puts his arms around her from behind, resting his head on her shoulder, her own hands coming to rest on his.

"A penny for your thoughts."

"It's not important."

"For me, every thought that crosses your mind is important, so…?"

"Ok, I was just thinking about something I read when I was at the SGC and you were still in Atlanta."

"And? What was it?"

"I spent some time with Sam and she had this book of names with her… I don't know why but I just looked at my name, yours and Abby to know what they meant."

"So, what do they mean?"

"Well, mine means consecrated to God, yours God is merciful and I have to say that Abby's name really fits her."

"How so?"

"It means Joy of the father."

"Really?"

"Yeah." She paused and then added after a few minutes, "I probably should go to my office to read some of the reports."

"Why don't you stay?" John asked, and even though she couldn't see him, she could here the pout in his voice.

"We already discussed that."

"Ok, ok," he said, releasing her so she could face him. "When will we move in?"

"I guess it'll depend on when we'll have time to. We have to work too, John, should I remind you?"

"I know. We could still start with Abby's room and then we'll bring in the rest of our stuff. What do you think?"

"My, John Sheppard, you're full of good ideas today!"

"I know," he simply replied, leaving butterfly kisses on her lips. "And I have one more of them. The sooner we move in our new quarters, the sooner Abby gets her own room and the sooner I'll make it up to you for that night at the SGC."

"I love that one," she said, waggling her eyebrows before leaning in to kiss him passionately. "Ok, now I should really go. See you later."

She left the balcony and he followed her inside just in time to see the door closing behind her and Sedge. Turning towards the bed, he saw that Abby was sleeping, curled up in a foetal position, traces of her recent tears on her cheeks. Definitely not wanting to wake her up, he picked up his War and Peace copy and sat on a chair.
Meanwhile, Elizabeth entered her office, Caldwell following a few seconds later.

"Colonel. may I help you?" she asked, taking her seat, Sedge laying on the floor right beside her.

"Actually, I was surprised you turned up so late."

"Yeah, sorry about that, but family matters," she replied, loving the sound of those words in her mouth. "You needed anything else?"

"Just to tell you that Hermiod wanted to take out the Daedalus for a few hyperdrive controls tomorrow. If that's okay with you, of course. It'll probably take a few days"

"There's no problem with that, Colonel, as long as you're reachable, just in case."

"We will be. I don't think he's planning to go too far away, anyway."

"Good. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some work to do."

"Of course."

He left her office and she opened her laptop, immediately noticing some new files which were sent by Colonel Caldwell during her absence. Deciding that the sooner she began, the sooner she'd be done, she opened the first one, shutting every other sound around her down.
An hour or so later, a knock at her door prevented her from beginning on a new report. Raising her head, she saw Lieutenant Cadman and motioned for her to enter her office.

"I'm sorry for disturbing you, Ma'am."

"It's okay, Lieutenant. Is there a problem?"

"No, not at all. Actually, I was just wondering if you would join us for the Girls Poker Night tomorrow night?"

Elizabeth considered her answer for a moment. She was touched by Laura's offer, but there was Abby. She knew she should spend some time with her; after all they needed to know each other better. She was ready to refuse when John appeared at the doorway, holding Abby's hand and Sedge in tow.

"What's happening?" he asked, wondering why the young lieutenant was there.

"Nothing, sir. I just came to ask Doctor Weir if she would join tomorrow's poker night."

"Why didn't I know there was going to be a poker night?"

"'Cos it's girls only, sir, sorry," Laura replied, a big grin on her face, which earned her a mild glare from her CO.

"I'm sorry Laura but there's Abby and I should…"

"Go," John interrupted her.

"You sure?"

"There'll be plenty of other nights for us to spend together."

"In that case… Thank you, Lieutenant, I'd love too."

"Then, you know where, Ma'am. Have a good day, bye Abby," she added winking at the girl before leaving the room.

"John…"

"You would have gone if Abby wasn't here right?"

"Yeah, but…"

"No buts. Yes, we have to make some changes in our lives with Abby here, but that doesn't mean we have to stop living completely. I know you enjoy those nights when you don't have to be the boss."

Elizabeth had to smile at that; he knew her so well that sometimes, she wondered if he read her mind. She watched as he sat on the couch, while Abby came towards her. She immediately understood what the girl wanted and lifted her to let her sit on her lap.

"Did you sleep well?" she asked, kissing her temple and Abby just nodded in response, looking at everything on her desk.

"Sedge!" she said, pointing at the photo Elizabeth kept on her desk.

"Yeah, that's her."

"What's that?"

"Oh, that… is a present from your Daddy. He offered me that jar for my first birthday here on Atlantis. It means a lot to me."

From his seat on the couch, John looked at them. He loved to see them like that, having this kind of mother/daughter interaction. He knew she wanted to work but Abby came first, just like for him. Elizabeth raised her eyes for a moment and smiled at him before taking her attention back to his daughter, answering her questions. He knew they were still at the beginning of a long road; Abby still needed time to really accept Elizabeth in her life.

"Well, we should probably let you work, now. We'll come get you by dinner time, ok?"

"I should be finished by then, otherwise, the rest will wait until tomorrow."

"Good answer," John said leaning in to kiss her before helping Abby down.

"Bye-bye, Abby."

"Bye, Lizzie," she replied leaving the office after her father

Elizabeth smiled at the nickname the little girl gave her; nobody had called her that since she was only a bit older than Abby, switching to 'Liz' or Elizabeth. Shaking her head, she concentrated once more on her work, hoping there would be no more interruptions.
Meanwhile, John took Abby to the Jumper to show her his other pride and joy. Opening the rear hatch, they stepped inside, going for the controls.

"Here, sit there," he said, putting his daughter in the co-pilot seat, while he settled in the pilot one. "You see, sweetie, only a few people can pilot these ships. I would explain to you why, but you're too young to understand it. But you are one of these people and one day, if you want to, I'll show you how to do it."

"Soon?"

"When you're older, really older. But we'll soon take the Jumper in the air so we can go to the mainland. There are children there with whom you can play with. Come on, now, I still want to show you something else before dinner time."

Abby jumped out of her chair and took her father's hand. He had already explained to her after her nap that she'd have to always be either with him or with Elizabeth, since the City could be pretty dangerous for a girl of her age. Leaving the Jumper bay, her father led her to one of the balconies overhanging Atlantis. She was exactly like him; she loved the heights and looking down at her now, he could see a big smile on her face. He knew that she didn't grasp the fact that she was in an alien City, in another galaxy yet, but he was happy to see her like that, just enjoying being a little girl.
They stayed there a long time and it wasn't till he noticed that the sun was starting to set that John looked at his watch.

"Well, Abby, it's time to go meet with Elizabeth. I don't know about you but I'm starving."

"I'm hungry, Daddy," she answered, taking his hand.

Hand in hand they went to the leader's office and once there they saw Elizabeth reading a book on her couch, waiting for them. She smiled as they approached, putting the book on the couch and standing up.

"You ready?"

"Yeah. Caldwell's summaries where really useful, and I haven't received a lot of new reports today," she answered, following them in the hallways towards the commissary, Sedge in tow. "So what did you two do?"

"Oh, I took Abby to the Jumper Bay…"

"Ah… Your pride and joy," she interrupted him, teasing him. "You want her to pilot them one day, huh?"

"Hey, she has the gene! And if she really wants to pilot a Jumper, who am I to prevent her from doing it?"

Elizabeth just smiled at that, knowing that she could never win in an argument involving both his daughter and his precious Puddle Jumpers. Soon after, they arrived in the commissary and seated at a table, alone, declining Ronon and Teyla's offer to join them; tonight they wanted to be a family. Abby needed to learn to live with the two of them alone, as much as with the rest of the City, if only when they both had to go off-world and leave her there.

"Lizzie?"

"Yes, sweetheart?"

"Are we going to live here forever?"

"Well, it'll depend on a lot of things, mainly if they still need us here."

They both understood Abby's concern for her future life in Atlantis. She was still young, but she could grasp the fact that she'd be living far from the only home she knew and Dinah for a few years. Even they were a bit anxious in the beginning, not knowing what to expect at first, and then the Wraiths woke up, changing the whole deal. But the feeling had gone and they learnt to live there, now considering the City more home than Earth ever was.
Abby would need time to adapt to her new life, but in the end, she'd probably manage better than the adults, given her young age. What would be the most difficult was the fact that they couldn't go back to Earth as often as she would need it.

"What are you and Abby going to do, tomorrow?"

"I don't really know. Maybe we'll start on our quarters, her room first like I said earlier. You?"

"I have to work if I want to leave early for the poker night."

"But you're not planning on spending the whole night playing poker?"

"No, Dad," she teased him which brought her to the receiving end of a mock glare. "When are you planning on testing the new recruits?"

"Actually, I think I should do that tomorrow. The sooner we know who's fit to go off-world and who isn't, the better it will be."

"Shouldn't you have given them some warning?"

"What? And where would be the fun? Plus, when there's an emergency, you can't take time to get prepared," he added and Elizabeth nodded, understanding what he meant. "Would you mind keeping Abby with you tomorrow? I know you have to work, but she can sit on the couch, or on the floor and play. I promise you she won't prevent you from working."

"You could have saved the speech; you know I don't mind spending time with Abby."

"Great! I don't know how long it will take though, so if I'm not done by the time you have to go play poker…"

"I'll take her with me and radio you to tell you. You know, it's girls' poker night, so she would be more than welcome."

"Maybe but…,"

"She won't eat junk food, and as soon as you're done, you'll come take her to put her to bed. I know how to take care of children, John," she added, slightly hurt by John's attitude, though, she reasoned, she had no reason for that.

"I know, Elizabeth, I know," he said, taking her hand in his. "Well, if you're done, girls, what do you say we go back to our quarters?"

Elizabeth agreed, taking Abby's plate to put it away with her tray. As soon as they left the commissary, John took Elizabeth's hand in his, letting his daughter walk before them with Sedge. Once in the residential area, he saw Sedge taking off, soon followed by a running Abby. He was ready to go after them but Elizabeth tugged at his hand and shook her head at him when he looked at her.

"Let them, John. It's better they run here than in the control tower, don't you think?"

"You're probably right. I'm sorry, I shouldn't be this overprotective."

"Hey, she's your daughter and I'd be concerned if you weren't acting overprotective. I take it you didn't spend much time with her alone."

"No. We stayed at Clare and Dinah's all the time. It was easier for us. And now, I have to take care of her, all the time."

"You're not alone, John. I'm here to help you. I know how to take care of children, but I don't know day to day life with them. We'll learn together, ok?"

"And we'll do good," he nodded, pulling her towards him for a brief kiss. "Now, where are they? Because if you remember, we just came back this morning and neither of them know the place."

"And one of them as a particularly developed smell and hearing. Sedge!" she called her dog and a minute later she saw both her dog and Abby running towards them, the girl still possessing some energy. "See?" she said, turning towards her companion with a big grin on her lips.

John raised his hands in surrender before once more linking his fingers with Elizabeth's. The four of them then continued towards their quarters, though not quite ready to call it a night. As he suspected, Abby's late nap was making her stay awake way past her bedtime so they first wrote the letter for Dinah and then played cards. This night, they all went to sleep at the same hour, the girl falling asleep between the two adults after Elizabeth told her a story; both John and Elizabeth knew that for the time being with Abby sleeping with them, it would be difficult to stay up late, even if only for talking.
Sleep wasn't coming easily that night for John, so he turned on his side and looked at his daughter and his lover, both of them sleeping peacefully. Only a few days ago, he thought that situation would never happen, but here they were, together, in Atlantis. He owed a certain general one; if it weren't for him, he and Abby would still be on Earth and he wouldn't be with Elizabeth. Elizabeth… He knew they'd soon have to spend some quality time together. Maybe one night he could ask Laura and Carson to baby-sit Abby and set a romantic dinner for Elizabeth and him. And like he told her earlier, he'd make it up for the night Abby interrupted.
Still looking at her, he thought about the events of the past few days. Ever since they started dating, and even before, he knew Elizabeth would make a wonderful mom and she proved it to him with Abby. She's a natural; when he looked at them that afternoon in her office, he could see the bond starting to form between the two of them. Deep in thought, he didn't notice the woman stirring and opening her eyes slightly.

"Hey," she said, her voice rough from sleep. "Can't sleep?"

"No. Too much thinking."

"About?"

"Nothing important."

"John…," she urged and he knew she wouldn't let him go on this one.

"I was just thinking what a great mom you already are with Abby."

She blushed and reached to take his hand in hers. He leaned towards her, careful of his daughter, and gave her a chaste kiss.

"I mean it. You know, sometimes I wonder if you're not just too good to be true. Sometimes, I wonder if I'm not dreaming all of this. I still can't believe how you can love a guy like me."

"And I don't know why you fell for me when you could have any woman of the city. Hell, of the galaxy," she said, keeping her tone down for Abby.

It was true. Both of them had their insecurities about their couple, not knowing exactly why the other could be with them. It wasn't the first time they were discussing this subject but still their fears remained. They would lessen with more time, at least that was what they hoped. For the moment, they'd just have to trust the other and what they saw in their eyes.
Despite herself, in the first few weeks of their relationship, Elizabeth had sometimes doubted John; after all, before they began dating, he had had his fair share of girls on planets his team had visited. He had noticed her attitude and one day, confronted her about it; she had confided in him and he reassured her as well as he could: yes there had been a lot of girls before, but that now there was only one. She had believed in him, knowing him and knowing when he lied, and she had never been deceived.

"I love you," she whispered, and he whispered them back.

They didn't often say those words to each other but both know they thought it nonetheless. They didn't need words to understand each other, their relationship was beyond that; it was always like that even when they weren't dating and were mere colleagues. They just knew each other well enough to have a conversation without uttering a single word.
They finally fell asleep, keeping hold on the other's hand and facing each other despite Abby being between them.
The next day went by fast for the three of them. After spending the morning with the new recruits, John joined his two girls for lunch and then went back to the gym. Elizabeth and Abby stayed in the leader's office most of the day, the young girl taking her nap on the couch. They hadn't talked a lot, Abby seeming to have retreated in her own little world, acknowledging the woman only in her father's presence. Elizabeth had thought things were better now with the girl, but this day had proved her the contrary; they would still need some time to get accustomed to the other
Pausing for a moment, Elizabeth watched Abby lying on the floor, drawing with the crayons she took with her. She didn't really know what changed between the day before and today and she can't help but try to remember if she had done something wrong; they had had a good time and now she was barely speaking to her. Standing up from her chair, she went to sit on the floor beside Abby, hoping to get some sort of response this time.

"Hey, Abby. What are you drawing?" When she didn't get an answer, she continued, "it's beautiful. Is it for Daddy?"

"No, it's for Dinah," the girl finally said, not even looking up from her sheet of paper. "When will Daddy come?"

"I don't know, honey. But if he's not here in an hour, I'll take you with me, ok?"

"No, I wanna stay with Daddy."

"Yeah, I know. But Daddy has to work too. So am I, but it's easier for me to look after you than it is for your Daddy, you understand?"

Abby didn't answer and Elizabeth sighed for the nth time of the day. Standing up, she went back to her desk, wanting to be done before leaving for the poker night. But, just as she was opening a new file, her radio crackled to life.

"'Lizbeth?"

"Yes, John?" she answered and she saw Abby looking up at her, expectantly.

"I'm going to be a little late. The new recruits needed more time to rest than I thought."

"It's okay, I'll take Abby with me."

"Ok, where will you be?"

"Lieutenant Cadman's quarters. And we'll stop by the mess before going there to take some real food for Abby."

"Thanks. I'll come take her as soon as I can. Everything's okay?"

"Yeah, we're perfectly fine. See you later."

"Later."

"Daddy?" she heard Abby ask and she shook her head.

"I'm sorry, he still has a lot of work, you'll have to stay with me for a bit longer. Let me finish on that report and then we'll go, ok?"

Abby just nodded and Elizabeth could see she was disappointed. She made a mental note to talk to John about it as soon as she could; they had to figure out a way for the girl to feel at home here.
Less than an hour later, the two of them left the office and went to the mess to collect something to eat for Abby. Elizabeth thought she should show the example and eat something healthy too but tonight she didn't want to; she'd be an example for Abby another day. They then went to Laura's quarters where the rest of the girls invited for the poker night were already there. The lieutenant motioned the young girl to sit on the bed to eat while Elizabeth took place around the table between Teyla and Kate. Sedge came to lie on the floor, besides the bed

"So, we all agree with the rules?" asked Laura, already shuffling the cards. "No work-related talk, we were all given a first name so no ranks and we'll have to wait till Abby leaves to speak about male-related topics. Okay?" she said and they all nodded. She started dealing the cards and turned to Elizabeth. "When will Colonel Sheppard take her by the way?"

"I don't know. He radioed me earlier to tell me it was taking longer than he had planned. Something about the new recruits needing to rest a lot…"

"Anyway, how was Earth, you two?" Kate asked both Laura and Elizabeth.

"Foreign," they said simultaneously and then smiled.

"No, really," the brunette continued, "I feel more at home here than I ever was on Earth. It's weird… And well, this trip was weird with me meeting Abby and thinking John wasn't coming back. But mine wasn't the most interesting trip," she said wickedly, turning towards the lieutenant.

"I don't know what you're talking about…"

"Spill, Laura, or I put in my veto and make it an order," Elizabeth threatened while the other women urged her too to tell them her story.

Knowing she couldn't win, Laura fake-dramatically sighed, looking at her cards before placing some chips in the middle of the table.

"Nothing really important… He just took me to Scotland to see his mother," she said, shrugging in the process.

"Then it's more serious than you told us, you liar," Lindsey Novak stated and the others nodded.

"Maybe… But let's save that for later. Shouldn't you be on the Daedalus, helping Hermiod, by the way?"

"He said he didn't need me, so I asked Colonel Caldwell if I could back out of this trip, and he oh-so-kindly agreed."

"How's it going with Abby?" Kate asked turning towards Elizabeth, lowering her voice so that the girl couldn't hear them.

"She's missing Dinah, she was her mom's housemate and she took care of her," she explained. "I think it'll take time for her to adjust to her life here."

"And between the two of you?" the psychiatrist inquired and Elizabeth was grateful for her to tackle the subject.

"I don't know. Yesterday, everything seemed fine but today… She had barely spoken to me. I don't know what I did…"

"You know, sometimes you don't need to do anything for kids to give you the cool treatment," Lindsey said, not even looking up from her cards.

"Do you want me to talk with her?" Kate offered.

"Thanks, but I'll talk to John first. It's his daughter, he should know what's wrong."

A few minutes passed before Abby finished her dinner and came towards Elizabeth, silently asking her to take her on her lap. Giving a look to the other women, the diplomat indulged and pushed her chair slightly away from the table to allow the girl to sit.

"Can I play too?"

"This game is a little too complicated for you to play. But in a few years, if you want, I'll teach you. But for now, why don't you play with me?"

"'K."

"Did you eat well, Abby?" Laura asked and the girl nodded without looking at her.

"When is Daddy coming?"

"I don't know, sweetheart. But I'm sure he'll be here as soon as he can. He misses you too."

Abby didn't respond, running her fingers over Elizabeth's cards. The latter looked up at the others and made a sign that they could continue their game. Since it was her turn, Teyla requested two cards from Kate, who was the dealer for this turn.
After two more turns, Elizabeth felt Abby leaning more towards her and when she lowered her gaze to her, she saw her yawning. Slowly stroking her head, she dropped a kiss on the girl's hair.

"If John hasn't come in half an hour to take her, I'll have to leave you. She's exhausted."

"She hadn't taken her nap?" Kate asked.

"She has, actually, but with the constant buzzing from the control room, I doubt she slept well. I would have taken her back to our quarters, but I told the new members that I would be in my office all day if they needed something."

"They would have understood," Laura assured her.

"I know, but I don't want my private life interfering with my job. This is something both John and I agreed with when we first started dating."

Within minutes, Abby was fast asleep in Elizabeth's arms, a fist curled up the woman's shirt. Looking down at the small face, she once again wondered what had gone wrong in just a night. Of course, she hadn't expected everything to be fine in a matter of days, but she hadn't expected that neither.

"Elizabeth?" Teyla's voice jerked her out of her thoughts and she noticed it was her turn.

"I fold," she said, placing her cards face down on the table.

"So, now that we talked about my and Elizabeth's love life, maybe we should move onto somebody else's?" Laura suggested, turning towards Teyla who suddenly blushed and lowered her head. "Oh, come on, don't tell me you and Ronon…"

"There's nothing between me and Ronon," the Athosian leader said forcefully, wanting to end this conversation as quickly as possible.

"I saw the look you shared yesterday in the sparring room…"

"He was just waiting for me to accept my defeat," she interrupted Elizabeth.

"Maybe, but it was pretty intense."

The other women agreed, all of them mentioning moments where they saw the two Pegasus natives sharing intense gazes. Teyla decided to let them talk, knowing that she couldn't say anything to stop them from thinking that there was something between Ronon and herself.
A knock at the door, followed by it sliding open, interrupted their discussion.

"Sorry to disturb your girls night, ladies," John said stepping into the room.

"It's ok, sir," Laura answered while he made his way towards Elizabeth and Abby. "Actually, we were wondering if you would ever show up. Tough day?"

"That you can say, Lieutenant. These new civilian recruits are easily tired so I had to stop the training more times than I thought. They're even worse than McKay was in the first few months; I hadn't thought it was possible. Anyway, I came to relieve you from Abby."

"She fell asleep a few minutes ago," Elizabeth told him while he took his daughter from her.

"Did she behave herself?"

"Yes, don't worry. I won't be too long," she said, kissing him goodbye, while the others awed, earning them a death glare from Elizabeth.

"It's okay, take your time, enjoy your night. I'll wait for you," he assured her, kissing her once more, before walking towards the door and opening it.

"Ok, now it's time for some serious talk," he heard Laura say as the door was closing behind him.

Abby in his arms, he headed towards their quarters, Sedge in tow; they didn't know each other a few days back but now you wondered if she wasn't Abby's dog from the beginning, seeing how she always seemed to stay with the girl. Once in there, he changed her into her pyjamas, doing it without waking her up and put her in bed, before going to breathe some fresh air on the balcony. The moons were already high in the sky and he regretted to not have spent a lot of time with his daughter that day. He knew that sometimes work would come in the way, but he still had hoped to spend sometime here and there with her.
Going back inside, he sat on the bed beside Abby, seeing her sleep peacefully. The quietness of the room and his tiredness soon made him fall asleep too.
Nearly two hours later, Elizabeth entered the room quietly, not wanting to disturb Abby's sleep. She immediately saw John sleeping, half-sitting, half-lying on the bed. She smiled at the sight before her before heading towards the bed to sit on John's side. She knew he was tired, but she also knew he couldn't sleep like that. She brought her hand to his face to stroke his cheek and felt him turn in her hand, gently kissing her palm.

"I'm sorry to have fallen asleep."

"Don't be," Elizabeth shushed him with a finger on his lips. "You were tired. I didn't want to wake you up but otherwise you were going to ache in the morning."

"Then, thank you. You're coming to bed," he asked, shedding off his t-shirt and pants.

"Yeah, in a bit," she replied, standing up and starting unbuttoning her shirt.

"Let me help you," John said, pushing her hands out of the way and kissing her lightly. "You seem to have something on your mind… What is it, Elizabeth?"

"Abby was distant today. I don't know why, John. I thought about it since I noticed it and I don't think I've done anything, so why was she acting like that?"

"You knew it was going to take sometime for her to accept you completely in her life. And now, she also has a new place to adapt to. It was probably too much to take at once for a girl of her age, but it wasn't like we really had a choice."

"You're probably right…"

John could see that she wasn't totally convinced by what he told her. Wanting to take her mind off of it, he stopped undoing the buttons of her shirt and put his hands around her waist. Leaning towards her, he dropped butterfly-like kisses on her cheeks, eyelids and nose before taking her lips in a sweet but passionate kiss. Her hands came to rest at the base of his nape.
They were both panting by the time he released her lips. Looking into her eyes, he saw that something was still bothering her so he asked her what it was.

"I'm frustrated," she admitted in a whisper.

"Why?" he asked, not understanding what she meant.

"To put it bluntly, I need to get laid, John."

"Oh! Oh…"

"I love Abby, believe me I do, but we haven't been together in…"

"I know. I'm sorry. I know that when she interrupted us when we were at the SGC I told you I'd make it up to you…"

"It's ok, John. I know you will as soon as we can."

"You know what? I promise you that once we're in our new quarters, you'll have one of the best nights in your life."

"I hope you don't overestimate yourself, Colonel," she teased and John started to tickle her for that. "Ok, ok, stop, I believe you. We should be more careful or we're going to wake Abby up. And we should go to sleep too. I don't know what you planned to do tomorrow, but I have to work."

"I don't know yet," he lied, actually already having an idea.

They finished changing for bed and then went to bed, John between his two girls like he liked to call them. Without waking up, Abby snuggled further into her father's side and the adults fell asleep rather quickly.
The next day, Elizabeth didn't see John and Abby much. And Sedge for that matter since her dog now seemed kind of reluctant to leave the girl. They had lunch with her, but aside from that, she spent the whole day without seeing them. That kind of worried her; she was pretty sure they were up to something but she didn't know what. With John she could expect anything but she hoped for Abby's sake that her father hadn't done something stupid.
With a sigh, she closed the last document on her laptop and was gathering her things up when she spotted Rodney coming in the direction of her office.

"Great, you're still there. Do you know where Sheppard is?"

"No…"

"Oh come on, I can't believe you don't!"

"And why's that?"

"Well, now you and him are…, you know, I thought you'd…"

"You thought that we'd always know where the other is? Sorry to disappoint you, Rodney, but no. Why did you need to see him?" she asked, curious at what the scientist would want to her companion.

"It can wait…"

"Rodney…," she urged, now she knew he was up to something.

"It was about his daughter…"

"We won't let you test her. She's a child, how can you ask something like that?"

"But she has the ATA gene. You know how rare it is; though given that Sheppard is her father, that's not as surprising…"

"I can't believe it! You're jealous!"

"What? No!"

"Yes, you are. You're jealous that a girl of her age has the gene naturally and can probably use it without effort like her father."

"Ok, maybe. But that's not the point…"

"And you know our answer, McKay," John said, entering the office with Abby and Sedge. "Like we already told you while we were still on Earth, I'm sure she'll be glad to help you in a few years."

"Fine. Do what you want," he muttered, leaving the office

"You're done?" John asked Elizabeth.

"Yes. How was your day, Abby?" she asked; the girl just shrugged in response and Elizabeth looked helplessly towards John.

"Why don't you answer Elizabeth, sweetie?"

"It was fine," she finally said.

"What did you two do?"

"Daddy said it was a secret."

"Really?" Elizabeth said, turning towards John and raising an eyebrow at him.

"Why don't we go eat something and then we'll go to our quarters and I'll tell you?"

She just nodded in answer, wondering not for the first time of the day to what he was up to. Knowing that she had means to make him tell her everything, she put that thought to the back of her mind and just enjoyed being with them. Though Abby's attitude was the same as the day before, now that John knew she could expect some help from him, like earlier.
Their dinner was spent with Elizabeth trying to make John tell her what he had done all day. But he refused to surrender, though promising her he hadn't done something stupid. They left the commissary and she let John take her hand in his, since she was still too deep in thought to see where she was going; though she was sure she could go to their quarters with her eyes closed, and the same went for the infirmary and her office.
She was taken out from her thoughts when she realized that while they were in the residential area, he was leading them the opposite way to their quarters.

"John? Where are we going? I thought we were going to our quarters?'

'We are, Elizabeth, we are."

"John?"

He didn't answer her but instead stopped before a door. That was when she realized where they were; they were just outside the family quarters they had chosen as their new ones. She turned towards him to ask him why they were there when he opened the door. He took her hand and led her inside, Abby and Sedge following. There, in the main room, she could see most of the things they kept in his quarters.

"Did you…? John, what…?" she stammered, not really knowing what to say.

"I thought that the sooner we get into our new home, the better it'd be for Abby. And for us," he added in a hushed voice while encircling her waist from behind.

"Why didn't you tell me? I should have helped you."

"I wanted it to be a surprise for you. Lorne and Ronon helped me to move some things but otherwise, I've done it by myself. So…?"

"I like it, it's perfect," she said, tears in her eyes, turning in his arms to grab his face with her hands and kiss him.

"Now, we just need a 'home sweet home' sign. Remind me of it next time we are on Earth, ok?"

She giggled at that and then hugged him tightly.

"I knew you were up to something," she whispered in his ear. "So, Abby," she continued, releasing John and turning towards his daughter, "do you like your new bedroom?"

"She loves her new furniture and toys," her father answered for her while she was nodding excitedly.

"Great. Why don't you show me your room?" she asked, holding her hand out for Abby to take.

The girl accepted the hand and pulled her towards the room they had designated for her. The bed was the only Lantean furniture in the room, the rest was from Earth. On the chest, Elizabeth could see the framed photo they took at the fair and two others; one of Abby and John and the other of Abby, Dinah and Clare. Children books were also put on the chest, and some of the stuffed toys they brought with them were on the bed, making Elizabeth wonder where the girl could sleep. Her eyes finished scanning the room and she turned towards Abby and crouched to be at her level.

"So, do you think Daddy did a good job in your room? Or do you want to change something?"

"It's okay…"

"But…," Elizabeth urged, knowing that the girl wanted to add something.

"He forgot Teddy in the other room…"

"Then, we'll go pick him up later, ok?"

"Ok."

"I don't remember seeing him there. You sure you left him there?" he asked his daughter and she shrugged in response; she just knew that her Teddy was missing. "Ok, like Elizabeth said, we'll go check the old room later. But first, why don't we continue our visit?"

Saying that, John steered them both towards another room. The door opened and Elizabeth could see that John arranged it as a sort of playroom for Abby. The bed that was in the room was pushed against the farthest wall and he put an Athosian carpet on the floor. Toys were scattered around the room and Elizabeth deduced that Abby was probably playing in there while her father moved their stuff in the quarters.

"Teddy!" Abby cried as she saw the stuffed bear sitting on the bed.

"I knew it wasn't in our old quarters," John said, putting an arm around Elizabeth's waist. "Remember it?" he asked, pointing out the carpet. "We didn't know where to put it when they gave it to us. I thought that maybe that way, it could be useful too."

"You had a good idea."

"My pleasure. You want to see our room while Abby is playing?"

"Lead the way…"

Taking her hand once more, he led her to the door of their bedroom and stopped, turning towards her instead of opening it. Elizabeth was intrigued, wondering for the nth time this evening what he was planning.

"Close your eyes," he said, surprising her.

"What?"

"I want you to close your eyes, Elizabeth, please. Trust me."

"I trust you, John, you know that, but why do you want me to close my eyes?" John gave her a pointed look and with a sigh, she consented and closed her eyes.

"Just in case," he added, holding one of his hands in front of her face, and she mentally rolled her eyes at his attitude. She heard the door swishing open and John soon pulled her in their bedroom. "Ok, I guess this is it. Be honest and tell me what you really think," he said and she had to admit that she had never seen, or rather heard, him so nervous before, besides the day he introduced her to Abby.

Finally, he removed his hand and she waited for a few seconds before slowly opening her eyes. She gasped as she saw what he had done with their room; candles were placed on every available surface and just waited to be lit. The bed was covered with the quilt her grandmother gave her when she left for college and which she had brought back from her last trip on Earth. Windows were covered by voile-like curtains Elizabeth suspected he requested either from Teyla or from the Athosians themselves. All in all, their bedroom, as well as the rest of their quarters felt homey. And this prompted a question in Elizabeth's mind.

"John, how long were you planning this?" she asked, turning towards him.

"What? Us moving in new quarters? Since you mentioned it when we were still on Earth. But if you're talking about making our quarters cosier, then I was thinking about it for a long time. So, do you like it?" he asked and she could hear his anxiety in his voice.

"Yes, yes. It's perfect, John," she answered him, kissing him on the lips.

The kiss she wanted chaste soon became passionate and they were both breathless by the time they broke it. Resting his forehead against hers, he recaptured her lips for sweet little kisses before leaving her face to nuzzle her neck.

"What do you say we put Abby to bed and spend some quality time together?"

"I say that today you're full of great ideas, Colonel," she replied, moaning under his ministrations.

Stepping back, John took her hand and led her out of their room and towards the playroom where they left Abby. They found her still wide awake, playing with one of her dolls on the carpet, Sedge lying not so far from her, keeping an eye on her new protégée.

"Ok, honey, time for your bath before going to bed."

"I'm not tired," she pouted.

"Come on, Abby," Elizabeth intervened, holding her right hand out for Abby to take. "I'm going to give you your bath and then I'll read you a story."

"You sure?" John asked.

"Yes. Now, go catch up on your reading of War and Peace, we won't be too long," she replied, leaving the room with Abby.

"So, I guess this is just you and me," he said towards Sedge but the dog followed them out of the room. "Or just me…"

John closed the door of the playroom behind him and sat on one of the sofas in the main room, the book in his hands. He could hear the water running and some splashing coming from the bathroom; like he already told her, he always knew that Elizabeth was a natural mother. Even though things weren't perfect with Abby, she didn't give up trying and he admired her for that.
They came out of the bathroom fifteen minutes later, Elizabeth carrying Abby wrapped in a towel in her arms. His daughter waved at him while they went to her bedroom and he waved back, before turning his thoughts once more on his new family life. He would have never thought he could have a real family life, especially after coming to Atlantis. But then he met Elizabeth and here they were now, living together with his daughter. He couldn't help but think about Clare and wondered if it was the life she wanted him to give Abby when she left her to him in her will. Of course it wasn't, he was sure she had never wanted her daughter to live in another galaxy threatened by life-sucking aliens.
Elizabeth closing Abby's door jolted him from his thoughts and he motioned for her to come sit on his lap. She obliged, wrapping one of her arms around his neck while she rest her other hand on his chest. She leaned in, intending to kiss him but he avoided her and she frowned, wondering what it meant.

"Maybe we could go to our own bedroom," he suggested a sly look on his face.

"Maybe…," she agreed, leaning in again and finally capturing his lips in a slow but ardent kiss. They broke the kiss and Elizabeth looked into his eyes, a mischievous glint in them. "I hope you're ready to make it up to me," she said, standing up and holding out her hand for John to take.

"More than ready. But could you wait here for a few more minutes? I have a few things to check before."

Without allowing her time to answer, he let go of her hand and left hurriedly for their bedroom, closing the door behind him. Shrugging, Elizabeth went to stand before the window, looking out towards the starry sky. A few minutes passed before she felt two arms wrap themselves around her waist. She wasn't surprised; she heard him come into the room but decided against turning to acknowledge him.
He nuzzled her neck and she leaned her head slightly to give him better access. After a few kisses and nips, and she hoped for him it wouldn't leave any marks, his hands slid from her waist and he took her hands to turn her towards him and then lead her towards their bedroom. When the door opened, she gasped at the sight before her; the room was bathed by candlelight, giving it a romantic atmosphere. Her grandmother's quilt on the bed was turned down and she wanted nothing more than to be in that bed with John, making love to him.

"Time to resume where we were left the last time," John said, before starting to shed her of her clothes, while she was doing the same with his.

To be continued...